The Forbidden Word

We have many rules in our house including language rules.  We try our best to not swear, use the Lord's Name in vain, or use the word "hate."  This word "hate" is a forbidden word in our household.  We believe that hate breads hate and little "hates" can turn very quickly into catastrophic "hates."  This morning, while getting ready for school, my eight year-old, Noah, asks me, "Mom, what country do we hate?"  I stop dead in my tracks.  Memories come rushing back of a three-year-old-Noah saying that he "hates doing chores."  This is a sentence that was quickly corrected by me, his shocked mother- "We do not use the word hate."  My witty, little guy immediately responded, "you hate telemarketers."  At that point I made an executive decision to take the word "hate" out of our vocabulary. 

So, this morning, I quickly searched for the most appropriate answer to this rather adult question.  "Well, honey, we do not hate any country.  All countries in our world have good and bad..."  Noah interrupts with questions that I am unable to answer, "We are at war with Iraq, right?  Why are we at war with a country that we do not hate?  Do we kill people that we do not hate?"

Keep in mind, this is a child who is constantly setting up strategic battles with his army men.  They consist of battalions and extensive battle plans (and an occasional dinosaur or dragon.)

He has told me many times that he wants to be a pilot for the military when he grows up.  Do I squash his dreams here and now and tell him that I would never let him go to war because I would be afraid that I would lose him?  My mind is racing, trying to find the best answer for this 8 year-old and my 4 year-old that just walked into this conversation.  How do I explain this?  I kneel down to their level and quietly say, "There is a time for everything, A time for war and a time for peace."  I gently kiss both of their foreheads and stand back up, praying silently that they would be satisfied. And with that, they continued with their morning routine and no other questions were asked, thank goodness.